'Life on Mars': Tube Talk Gold

Back in 1998, three top British screenwriters - Tony Jordan, Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah - were sent to a Blackpool resort by Kudos Film and Television. Their mission during their seaside break: to devise new and original program ideas.

Remembering the iconic cop shows of yesteryear, the trio devised a show - then titled Ford Granada - that followed a modern-day detective as he was flung back to the 1970s and forced to contend with hideously outdated policing methods.

But their concept of a light-hearted time-travel cop show - to potentially star Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey - was rejected by the BBC. It would be eight more years before the project - which passed over to Channel 4 before returning to the Beeb - would return in a more recognizable form...

Life on Mars: Originally broadcast from January 9, 2006 to April 10, 2007

"My name is Sam Tyler - I had an accident and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home..."

With these words, Life on Mars - appropriately enough - transported viewers back in time, its dramatic opening monologue and brilliantly retro title sequence recalling television dramas of the 1970s (as well as hit US import Quantum Leap) - simpler TV for a simpler time. From its opening moments, it was clear that Life on Mars boasted a concept that was simply more colourful and more vivid than anything else on TV at the time.

Beyond the obvious stylistic resemblance to classic cult shows, the series openly paid tribute to 'Boy's Own' cop shows of the '70s - The Sweeney, The Professionals and more. Nowhere was this more obvious than in the character of Gene Hunt - a behemoth of a character who first hit our screens a mere six years ago, yet can already be considered truly iconic.

We really shouldn't like the loutish Gene. He's arrogant, racist and sexist, and uses most of his suspects as a human punching bag. But actor Philip Glenister makes the gruff Manchester cop so darn charismatic, you can't help but love him.

It's clear watching Life on Mars that Graham, Pharoah and their writing team were having an absolute ball writing the Gene Genie - he's a machine, spouting endless classic quotes that really shouldn't be repeated in polite company.

Some of DCI Hunt's finest moments come from his arrogance and ignorance - in particular, his outright refusal to adapt to changes in society or adopt new policing methods. Who can forget his amazing response to Sam's suggestion that they keep a suspect under surveillance: "Doesn't sound very manly!"

But enough about Gene Hunt - he may arguably be the most memorable thing about Life on Mars but the show's lead, and its heart, is Sam Tyler. John Simm's honourable, sensitive cop could be (unfairly) dismissed as the show's straight man, but he's so much more than that.

Sam is the very core of Life on Mars - the calm at the eye of a wild and colourful '70s storm. It's a wonderfully understated performance from Simm, who knows when to give way to the more showy Glenister but is also more than capable of seizing the audience's attention when required.

Of course, we'd be remiss not to mention that Simm and Glenister are supported admirably by a strong ensemble cast. Liz White manages to be both gentle and tough as Sam's love interest, WPC (later DC) Annie Cartwright, and Marshall Lancaster is brilliantly funny as the rather hapless DC Chris Skelton.

As the brutish DS Ray Carling, Dean Andrews probably has the trickiest role to play - Ray could easily come off as a complete monster but a combination of great writing and a well-judged performance from Andrews help to endear the character to an audience, unlikely as it may sound.

Beyond the show's cast, the unsung heroes of Life on Mars are the production team, who deftly created a believable and atmospheric 1970s Manchester. Some viewers may have taken perverse pleasure in picking out anachronisms, but it didn't really matter - this was not a documentary-style recreation of the '70s, this was the '70s that Sam remembered from his youth and the '70s that viewers of a certain age faintly recalled too.

Each episode of Life on Mars was like a treasure chest of nostalgia. There were retro cars, a classic soundtrack - including the awesome David Bowie track that gave the show its name - and a string of well-judged pop culture references. Who can forget the Camberwick Green sequence that opens series two, episode five?

After just two series, Life on Mars drew to a close. At the time, Matthew Graham claimed that Sam's journey should have a "finite life span" but star John Simm later admitted that he had turned down the opportunity to make a third series due to the intense workload - the very nature of the series requiring Sam to appear in every scene...

But end the series did, with 7m viewers tuning in for the mind-bending finale - impressive figures considering that the conclusion of Sam's journey was scheduled opposite a Champions League football match.

The Life on Mars finale did not answer all of the questions regarding Sam's plight - viewers would have to wait another three years, until the conclusion of sequel series Ashes to Ashes, for that - but what it does wrap up beautifully is Sam's emotional journey.

Throughout both series, our hero has been desperate to return home, but it's only when he achieves his goal that Sam realizes what the viewer knew all along - the '70s of his dreams is far more fun than the dull monotony of the waking world.

It's incredibly brave of any show to end with its lead essentially committing suicide - especially a drama as populist and widely watched as Life on Mars - but that final sequence in which Sam leaps off the roof to return for his comrades is truly exhilarating.

Yes, Sam's story was done, but Gene Hunt's was not. It's probably fair to say that, while it had its moments, the reaction to the Keeley Hawes-starring Ashes to Ashes was more mixed than the rapturous reception that its predecessor received, but that doesn't really matter. The 16 episodes of Life on Mars that we got are a perfect package - when it comes to entertaining yet thought-provoking drama, nothing can touch them.

Were you a fan of Sam Tyler and the Gene Genie? Share your thoughts about Life on Mars below!